2:4 He will judge disputes between nations;
he will settle cases for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares, 1
and their spears into pruning hooks. 2
Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
9:7 His dominion will be vast 3
and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. 4
He will rule on David’s throne
and over David’s kingdom, 5
establishing it 6 and strengthening it
by promoting justice and fairness, 7
from this time forward and forevermore.
The Lord’s intense devotion to his people 8 will accomplish this.
11:6 A wolf will reside 9 with a lamb,
and a leopard will lie down with a young goat;
an ox and a young lion will graze together, 10
as a small child leads them along.
11:7 A cow and a bear will graze together,
their young will lie down together. 11
A lion, like an ox, will eat straw.
11:8 A baby 12 will play
over the hole of a snake; 13
over the nest 14 of a serpent
an infant 15 will put his hand. 16
29:19 The downtrodden will again rejoice in the Lord;
the poor among humankind will take delight 17 in the Holy One of Israel. 18
1 sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.
2 sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:93; M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle. Breaking weapons and fashioning agricultural implements indicates a transition from fear and stress to peace and security.
3 tc The Hebrew text has לְםַרְבֵּה (lÿmarbeh), which is a corrupt reading. לם is dittographic; note the preceding word, שָׁלוֹם (shalom). The corrected text reads literally, “great is the dominion.”
4 tn Heb “and to peace there will be no end” (KJV and ASV both similar). On the political and socio-economic sense of שָׁלוֹם (shalom) in this context, see the note at v. 6 on “Prince of Peace.”
5 tn Heb “over the throne of David, and over his kingdom.” The referent of the pronoun “his” (i.e., David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn The feminine singular pronominal suffix on this form and the following one (translated “it” both times) refers back to the grammatically feminine noun “kingdom.”
7 tn Heb “with/by justice and fairness”; ASV “with justice and with righteousness.”
8 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord.” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to vindicate them and to fulfill his promises to David and the nation.
9 tn The verb גּוּר (gur) normally refers to living as a dependent, resident alien in another society.
10 tc The Hebrew text reads, “and an ox, and a young lion, and a fatling together.” Since the preceding lines refer to two animals and include a verb, many emend וּמְרִיא (umÿri’, “and the fatling”) to an otherwise unattested verb יִמְרְאוּ (yimrÿ’u, “they will graze”); cf. NAB, TEV, CEV. One of the Qumran copies of Isaiah confirms this suggestion (1QIsaa). The present translation assumes this change.
11 tn Heb “and a cow and a bear will graze – together – they will lie down, their young.” This is a case of pivot pattern; יַחְדָּו (yakhddav, “together”) goes with both the preceding and following statements.
12 tn Heb “one sucking,” i.e., still being nursed by his mother.
13 tn Or perhaps, “cobra” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV); KJV, ASV, NRSV “asp.”
14 tc The Hebrew text has the otherwise unattested מְאוּרַת (mÿ’urat, “place of light”), i.e., opening of a hole. Some prefer to emend to מְעָרַת (mÿ’arat, “cave, den”).
15 tn Heb “one who is weaned” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
16 sn The transformation of the animal kingdom depicted here typifies what will occur in human society under the just rule of the ideal king (see vv. 3-5). The categories “predator-prey” (i.e., oppressor-oppressed) will no longer exist.
17 tn Or “will rejoice” (NIV, NCV, NLT).
18 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.